• by Cory Treffiletti , Featured Contributor, February 8, 2006

Yes--the ads on this year's Super Bowl were not good. It's a bad sign when the only lasting impression I have from the ads was the line about a "code black," which only resonated because it left my cohorts and me trying to figure out what it was (and for the record, we were right--it was a bomb).

The real story of the ads wasn't on the Super Bowl, it was online. There were a number of sites that supposedly were "airing" the ads rejected for placement on the Super Bowl, though if you saw any of the ads it's doubtful there was much truth to that. There was no way those ads were actually created by a legitimate agency and approved by a respectable client, though they were funny in most cases. Heavy.com ran the "Super Banned Bowl," which was a mishmosh of old ads, parody ads, and some ads that I think may have fallen under the heading of user-generated, but there's no way to be sure.

Last year I proclaimed that the Super Bowl is the only remaining mass-media event in the U.S., and this year proved it; however the reaction from advertisers is one that surprised me. I would think that after you've spent $2.4 million on a spot, you'd go that extra mile and run something new or innovative. Why not throw the extra $300,000 in for a kick-butt commercial that will leave your audience asking questions and inquiring to find out more? Whatever happened to the creativity of the old "1984" spot for Apple, or even the old eTrade ads from the peak of the bubble? No, instead we are left with "brownandbubbly.com" for Diet Pepsi. At least this was an attempt at humor (any site that has unicorns in it has to be considered an attempt, right?).

The lack of creativity or risk-taking in the Super Bowl ads leaves me to wonder if advertisers even recognize the value of a mass-media event anymore. The Oscars is a distant second to the Super Bowl, but at least that event creates some watercooler conversation the day after. It's Monday, and I've been at work for two hours now--and not one mention of the Super Bowl anywhere. Is it possible that our culture is becoming immune to mass media, and moving on to our segmented tribal popular culture? Is it possible that the Super Bowl will be relegated to a standard ad vehicle in the years to come, and the Web will feature the best and the brightest and the most adventurous advertisers?

I refuse to accept that advertisers are going to let this one go. Maybe they're still scared of what the Federal Communications Commission will do, and as a result we're being subjected to conservative attempts at lackluster humor. Let's give it a year, and let's give it some thought. Next time you spend the big bucks to reach a large audience, remember that your audience is very intelligent and you don't have to speak to the lowest common denominator anymore. Give them a little credit and try to come up with something new.